Closures of this type are applied to containers which are provided with a neck and mouth, such as bottles, the neck of which is threaded, and preferably to containers which are provided with the so-called “standard threaded neck”, i.e. a neck which is produced in accordance with standard UNI9574 or in accordance with standards equivalent to this, such as, for example, the French standard GME 30.06.
These bottles generally contain alcoholic liquids, such as wine for example, for which there is a need to indicate that the initial opening has taken place, such as to discourage any adulteration. U.S. Pat. No. 3,812,991 describes for example a metal closure which is provided with a sealing ring, which is likewise made of metal, provided in the lower end of the closure itself. The sealing ring is in turn subdivided into segments which indicate that the initial opening has taken place, by opening out towards the exterior.
On the other hand document DE 38 33 945 discloses a similar metal closure, in which the sealing ring, which is also divided into segments, is made of polymer material.
A common defect of both closures is that, after the initial opening, their sealing ring can be disposed such that when the bottle is closed again, the ring has the same appearance it had before the initial opening. In fact, although with a certain amount of difficulty, the segments of these rings can be returned to their original position, such that the external appearance is so similar to that of an intact closure that it can deceive most consumers.
There is therefore a need to provide a closure, which can also be applied to containers provided with a standard neck, the initial appearance of which is particularly difficult to restore after the initial opening has taken place, and which is therefore able to indicate that the initial opening has taken place better than what has been possible hitherto in the known art.
In view of the state of the art described, the object of the present invention is to provide a closure of this type.